Tortellini in Brodo

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This tortellini in brodo is the most comforting Italian soup. Stuffed tortellini pasta cooked and served in homemade broth is one of a kind!

Prep Time5

Cook Time1

Total Time1 5

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Calories: 706kcal

Author: Svi

Ingredients

2 pounds whole free-range chicken , about 1 kg, see Note 1
1 yellow onion
1 carrot
2 celery ribs
1-2 sun-dried tomatoes , depending on their size
1 teaspoon whole pepper corns
2 sprigs basil fresh or frozen, see Note 2
2.4 quarts water , about 2.5 liters, see Note 3
salt , to taste
16 oz Tortellini , see Note 4

Instructions

In a large pot add chicken cut in quarters. Add carrot, onion and celery rib cut in large chunks. Add sun-dried tomatoes, whole pepper corns and fresh basil.
Fill the pot with water until vegetables and meat are submerged.
The best chicken to water ratio for broth is 1:2.5. Means for every kilogram of chicken you’ll need 2.5 liters of water.
See Note 3 for the precise water amount for the size of your chicken.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and leave to simmer for 50-60 minutes. Cooking time depends on the type of chicken you used. Roosters and old hens cook longer as opposed to younger chicken.
Adjust for salt at the end of cooking.
Remove the meat and strain the broth using a fine mesh sieve.
NOTE: it's best to plan your meals in a way that you eat chicken meat and veggies first and then the next day you strain and use the broth to make tortellini in brodo.
When ready to cook tortellini, bring broth to a boil and drop tortellini. Tortellini usually cook in 3-5 minutes. You can always taste one and adjust cooking time as needed. Laddle into bowls. Some like to grate some Parmesan on top.

Notes

See the Step By Step Pictures for a visual walk-through of the recipe.

Note 1: Alternatively 3 bone-in, skin-on chicken legs or whole rooster or a hen. When using a whole bird I always remove chicken breast and use in other recipes.

Note 2: dry basil won't work. Use fresh or frozen. It makes a huge difference.

Note 3: adjust meat-to-water ratio depending on the size of the chicken. Weight your chicken and do the calculation.

- Weight in kilograms: meat to water ratio is 1:2.5. This means for every kilogram of chicken you’ll need 2.5 liters of water.
  Formula: chicken weight in kg x 2.5 = Water needed (in liters).

- Weight in pounds:meat to water ratio is 1:1.2 for every pound of chicken you'll need 1.2 quarts of water (precisely 1 quart + ⅔). Formula: chicken weight in pounds x 1.2 = Water needed (in quarts).

Note 4: you'll need about 4-4.5 oz (115-125 grams) of tortellini per person.

TOP TIPS

- Don't skip the basil. Fresh or frozen. It's the secret ingredient that makes this chicken broth truly special!

- Plan to eat chicken first. Then use the broth to make tortellini in brodo or you'll end up with dry chicken meat as there will be not enough broth left to store it.

- Darker broth. Chicken broth is usually lighter in color compared to meat broth. If you like richer color, use onion with a skin on.

- Leaner broth. Trim off some fat from the chicken before arranging it in a pot. Do NOT remove all the fat since it's one of the key flavor builders in the broth. Alternatively you can skim off some of the fat once the broth is cool.

Nutrition